Senior Yakob Getu provides tech support for a resident at the Inn at Winchester Trail.

 

December 15, 2022 |  EFCTS

Eastland-Fairfield students in the Programming & Software Development program recently took a field trip … but not to a place you would typically think of when you hear the words “field trip”. They visited a local assisted living facility where they strengthened their customer service skills by helping answer technology-related questions.

Mr. Roeth, the instructor that coordinated the visit said, “I knew there was an existing gap in technology understanding for residents of assisted living facilities, so I thought that would be a good place for us to start.”

Three students participated, and all agreed that it was a valuable experience. They taught residents everything from how to adjust the volume on their iPhone or tablet, to how to add a contact or FaceTime with their loved ones, to how they can up their gaming strategies!

The residents of the Inn at Winchester Trail, located in nearby Canal Winchester, weren’t the only ones who learned something that day. Moussa Nikiema, a senior from Groveport Madison, had to put his problem-solving skills to work when he was presented with a prepay phone and asked to figure out how many more minutes the resident had left for the month. He also became the go-to person for answering questions about flip phones since that was his first phone in the third grade. 

Senior Moussa Nikiema navigates a resident's flip phone as part of their service.

 

“It was a big step out of their comfort zone to ask for help,” said Susmita Adhikari, a junior from Reynoldsburg. “Every time I taught them a new feature, their eyes would light up.”

Adhikari traditionally works with iPhones and iPads, but she had the chance to learn more about Android tablets that day. She also enjoyed learning from the residents what it’s like to live in an assisted living facility.

Mr. Roeth said that he was proud of his students, not just for their willingness to help others but also for defying the stereotype that people in technology-related fields are traditionally introverted. He said you’d never think that after watching his students that day. 

“This event was just as much about socialization for the residents and students,” Mr. Roeth said. “I can’t even put into words how proud I am of these students. You could see the relationships flourishing in the little time they had together. There were smiles all over the room the entire time we were there.”

The students recognize that technology is always evolving, so they left behind a packet of visuals and instructions on how to perform day-to-day technology tasks for the residents to reference. 

“This experience confirmed for me why I want to work in the field of technology. It was a great feeling to help and I learned that small things can have a large impact on people,” said Whitehall-Yearling student Yakob Getu. 

There’s no doubt this was the first of many similar field trips yet to come. 

Junior Susmita Adhikari provides residents support on their tablets.